Iteration

Design Iteration

Web sites with information about Designing

Choosing between different materials tutorial

Its important to go through this design circle over and over again with different materials. Design is an iterative process, where you keep going back to the beginning to continually try different materials to generate an exhaustive list (a very complete list).

It might be helpful to look at the Web sites with information about designing, and the Choosing between different material tutorial, before you begin the design process.

Design circle-choose material-check properties-check constraints

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Since you've already researched your materials class on your own, get together as a group and discuss the things about your materials class that would be good for the product and the things that would be bad.
Print out the Pros and Cons hand out. Decide if your materials class would be a good match for the product you are redesigning (remember that there may be more than one materials class that will work).
Now you will have to go and look at actual different specific materials. (Remember that you can't just put the materials class (i.e. polymers), you have to get as specific as the family (i.e. Aluminum), and if you feel as though you can, try to pick out a specific material (i.e. 1040 Steel).
Go up to the Top of the page and click on THE DESIGN WEB SITE, after you read the rest of these instructions.
The major classes are on the left, click on them and then click on the specific families underneath, and then read on the left about them. Make sure that you click on the icons above the writing that say Overview, Design Issues, Typical Products, Process Notes, and Environmental issues.
Make sure that you write down all the pros and cons for each material that you look at. The pros should be qualities that are good for your particular product, and cons are aspects of the material that make it not a good choice for your product.

(If you go to the Choosing between different materials tutorial, don't go on to learn about Materials Indices.)

The design page and the tutorials are from the University of Cambridge, click on the icon to read the acknowledgments.

If you have chosen a material and went back to check for alternative materials, and are now satisfied with your choice, as well as finished filling out the Pros and Cons hand out, please move on.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Since you've already researched your materials class on your own, get together as a group and discuss the things about your materials class that would be good for the product and the things that would be bad.

Print out the Pros and Cons hand out. Decide if your materials class would be a good match for the product you are redesigning (remember that there may be more than one materials class that will work).

Now you will have to go and look at actual different specific materials. (Remember that you can't just put the materials class (i.e. polymers), you have to get as specific as the family (i.e. Aluminum), and if you feel as though you can, try to pick out a specific material (i.e. 1040 Steel).

Go up to the Top of the page and click on THE DESIGN WEB SITE, after you read the rest of these instructions.

The major classes are on the left, click on them and then click on the specific families underneath, and then read on the left about them. Make sure that you click on the icons above the writing that say Overview, Design Issues, Typical Products, Process Notes, and Environmental issues.